Diversity in Training and Development - 509 Words

Training and Development: Diversity According to Wal-Marts corporate website the company has been dedicated to diversity and inclusion for over five decades. This practice has fostered inclusiveness in the workplace, maximized talents, strengthened customer relevance and enabled the company to deliver innovative solutions to business practices. The company offers the following statistics to support this claim: 27 percent of U.S. officers are women as compared to 17.9 percent in the retail industry, 42 percent of U.S. first and mid-level managers are women; the number of minority associates has increased by 5 percent. Over the last year 38 percent of executive vice president promotions were women, 34 percent of officer promotions were women with 22 percent being people of color; 27 percent of corporate officers were women with 20 percent being people of color; 54 percent of hourly associates promoted in stores and clubs were women; and 77 percent of store and club operations managers started as hourly associates. Diversity Efforts at Wal-Mart CATAGORIES RATING RATIONALE Top Management Support 8 Creation of Chief Diversity Officer to promote diversity within the organization. Provides opportunities for advancement and growth through mentoring programs, sponsorship programs, various leadership courses and Associate Resource Groups enabling associates can connect, collaborate and celebrate their diversity. Employee Support 9 Endeavor to help individuals developShow MoreRelatedThe Development And Diversity Training Program2356 Words   |  10 Pageshave updated their training, education process and has made it accessible for all types of staff that will allow employee’s better advancements, work-life balance, and a flexible training process. This will help to position technology-based organization a training application and will continue a learning advancement. An organization has become a global with their businesses, they start to become more complex with cultural diversity and training. Having a cultural diversity training program that willRead MoreThe Importance of Managing Diversity906 Words   |  4 PagesDiversity Managing Diversity â€Å"Diversity can be considered and dimension that differentiates a person from another† (Noe, p 432). Diversity brings considerable benefits. Decision making and improved problem solving are great examples of what diversity can help with. Diversity also brings greater creativity and innovation, which leads to better product development; and more successful marketing to different types of customers. Diversity provides organizations with the ability to competeRead MoreOrganizational Behaviour the Pros and Cons.1634 Words   |  7 PagesElements of successful organizational diversity Management. Why is organizational diversity important? Historically, diversity in the workplace has been recognized as an employment equity issue. Now, however, diversity in the workplace is being recognized as a benefit that will contribute to an organizations bottom line. Increased employee and customer satisfaction end up as increased productivity, all of which are measurable outcomes (Goff, 1998). Diversity goes beyond employment equity toRead MoreManaging A Diverse Workforce, Sexual Harassment, And Human Resource Management1502 Words   |  7 Pageschapter provided an introduction and overview of the importance of human resources in an organization. Human resource managers are responsible for recruiting, hiring, training, and developing employees. A critical organizational function for human resource management is selecting the right employees coupled with onboarding and training. Additionally, the human resource manager and staff work to ensure all laws and regulations are established and followed to protect both the organization and individualRead MoreManagement : Management Careers And Diversity Essay1744 Words   |  7 PagesManagement Careers and Diversity Introduction Ongori and Agolla (2007) state that managing workforce diversity in an organization is a complex phenomenon. They suggest that with the current organizational transformations being implemented across the globe, management of workforce diversity cannot be downplayed. Diversity in the workforce is based on the acknowledgement of the reality that people are different in more than one way, mainly in terms of culture and ethnicity, personality, religionRead MoreGlobalization Has Become The Root Of Changing The Demographic Diversity Of The Workforce857 Words   |  4 PagesGlobalization has become the root of changing the demographic diversity of the workforce in an organization throughout the world. Diversity does not only imply race and gender, but it shows that every person is different and that their culture is characterized as individual. Individuals in an organization have their own different customs, values, and perspectives; employers must be mindful of all of these differences. Successfully managing cultural differences would allow organizations to be moreRead MoreDiversity Management And Equal Treatment1293 Words   |  6 PagesAlthough large strides have been made to promote equal opportunities in the workplace over the past 50 years, diversity management and equal treatment can be improved. According to employment laws are put in place to stop discrimination, but it is the responsibility of people to put them into practice. By tackling diversity and promoting equality, is not only morally right but is ultimately a business advantage. Organizations are making themselves accessible to the talents all over the world andRead MoreTraining and Development784 Words   |  4 PagesTRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT â€Å"Training and development refers to the imparting of specific skills,abilities and knowledge to an employee.† Training and development is any attempt to improve current or future employee performance by increasing an employee’s ability to perform through learning,usually by changing the employee’s attitude or increasing his or her skills and knowledge. WHAT IS TRAINING ? Training is concerned with imparting developing specific skills for a particular purpose.Traning isRead MoreTraining Key Areas Essay992 Words   |  4 PagesTraining keys areas Wendy Hughes HRM/326 February 25, 2013 Mary Lambert Training keys areas Success is no longer measures by an organization profit margin. Today big businesses have to account for its success on various levels of group in its organizational achievements, community success, and personal growth in management and employees. Business that implement it resources on diversity, employee growth, and legal requirements not only eliminate unnecessary lawsuits but ensured that theRead MoreDiversity Training Plan704 Words   |  3 PagesDiversity Training Plan Jennifer Perez HRM/326 May 23, 2016 Diversity Training Plan Many employers are unaware of the benefits of and ways to achieve workplace diversity. This Diversity and inclusion training plan provides this information. This plan is designed to be presented by an individual who is knowledgeable in diversity and business strategies and who is familiar with the company’s

The War Of The United States - 1489 Words

The armies of the United States of America varied greatly from the beginning of America s independence in 1775 to the end of the War of 1812 in 1815. Different presidents holding office during this period brought different political views towards managing the army. These views affected the size and capability of the army in war and peace, with varying effectiveness. Effective in this case refers to the ability of the army to perform tasks given to them by the government. Opinions differing from the actions performed by the government provide insight into alternative ideas for the military, which had varying degrees of viability. During the dawn of the United States of America, Congress led the nation in its affairs. The members†¦show more content†¦Congress could not supply the large army that Nationalists wanted; they could only keep 80 soldiers who were sent to guard West Point. With Indians and British outposts in the frontier, Congress created the 1st American Regiment: 700 militiamen that served in periods of two years. They proved to be very ineffective at managing the border and did not make surveyors feel safe in the frontier. Due to a lack of financial support from taxation, Congress also could not provide payment to soldiers released from duty. This angered many veterans. The ineptitude of Congress resulted in the Newburgh Conspiracy and the Pennsylvania mutiny of 1783, during which veterans demanded Congress pay them for their service. Congress could not call on the army to protect them and they could not pay the veterans, so they were forced to flee Philadelphia to escape a mob of angry veterans. The final push that resulted in Congress to create an efficient standing army was Shay s Rebellion, which lasted from 1786 to 1787. Farmers, heavily burdened by taxes and debts, were led by Daniel Shays, a former officer under George Washington, to raid an American armory at Springfield, Massachusetts. With American army stationed at West Point, the armory was guarded by a mere padlock. Congress was forced to rally a militia to end the riots.

The Link Between Sanitation and Child Life Expectancy in India Critical Analysis Free Essays

â€Å"The expectations are different†, is a statement that Perri Klass makes in her essay entitled â€Å"India†(1986). This observation refers to the difference in child life expectancy between Klass’ home in North America, and her current home in India, where she is practicing paediatric medicine. In North America, every child is expected to surpass their parents in life expectancy. We will write a custom essay sample on The Link Between Sanitation and Child Life Expectancy in India Critical Analysis or any similar topic only for you Order Now Meanwhile, in India, the possibility that children will die young is very real and happens more than necessary. In 1998 alone, approximately 2. 5 million children under 5 died in India (Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2000,). What makes this number even more astonishing is that almost all the deaths were preventable. The lack of sanitation leading to deadly water-borne disease in India is the main factor contributing to these extremely high numbers. This essay will explore the role that sanitation has in relation to child life expectancy in India. A base root to sanitation is human hygiene, particularly access to clean water and toiletries. The cost to install a toilet in India is 200 USD (AgoramoortheyHsu, 2009). This, to an average American, does not seem like very much money at all. However, when you are a farmer working in rural India making an average of 150 to 225 USD per year (Agoramoorthy Hsu, 2009), this is a tremendous amount of money. This minimal income is barely enough to maintain basic survival (food, shelter, and clothing), let alone buy a toilet. The government of India, at one time, contributed up to 80% of the cost of purchasing a toilet to promote sanitation, but now the subsidy offered is only 20% (Agoramoorthy Hsu, 2009). An overall lack of funds is the main contributing reason that only 34% of Indian households have access to a toilet (Agoramoothy Hsu, 2009). The other 66% of the population is forced to defecate and urinate in public. The amount of people that do not have access to toilets in India is 638 million (UNICEF India, Water, environment and sanitation, 2011), which is more than 10 times the entire population of Canada (Stats Canada, 2010). The amount of public defecation in India poses massive health endangerment, especially to the most vulnerable population, children, through water contamination. The majority of Indian households do not even have access to running water. Water is mostly brought in to the homes from wells or unsanitary ponds, mainly by women. Proper storage of water is also a massive problem causing contamination, as most containers don’t even have handles. 67% of the residents of India do not treat their water, even though it most definitely is chemically or bacterially contaminated (UNICEF India, Water and environment and sanitation, 2011). As displayed in the below chart (Figure 1), the majority of the slum and rural parts of India rely on waters other than piped water for washing themselves and cleaning cooking supplies( Nath, 2003), leading to cross contamination. Figure 1: Sources of Water for Washing according to Different Population Sectors in Calcutta India (Nath,2003) Sewage control is also quite poorly maintained in India, hence becoming yet another water- related issue. With a total of about 4000 towns in India, only approximately 200 of them have partially covered sewage systems, resulting in poor drainage for storm waters leading to frequent flooding of defecated in waters (Nath,2003). Monsoon season is often the worst for defecation contaminating the waters due to the immense amount of rainfall and resulting in overland runoff. Contaminated waters are common in India; therefore the water is difficult to avoid especially for kids. Children inadvertently consume defecation in pond water as they are playing, resulting in illness. In the developing world 24,000 children under the age of 5 die every day from preventable diseases caused by contact of unclean water (water. org, 2011). That is almost a quarter of a million lives that could be saved alone by something as simple as clean water. 21% of all disease in India is water-related (UNICEF India, Water, environment and sanitation, 2011), and yet preventable. With the prevalence of water-related diseases in India, one would think the government would step in and vaccinate the children against rotavirus. Currently, children in India are not vaccinated against rotavirus, which is the leading cause of diarrheal illness. (UNICEF India, Water, environment and sanitation, 2011) A child here in Canada can get diarrhoea and be given over the counter medicine such as Pesto Bismal and be fine in couple hours or, at worst, be hospitalized for dehydration and be out the next day. In India, in 1996 there were a staggering 1600 deaths a day from diarrhoea, resulting from water contamination. Unicef India, Water, environment and sanitation, 2011). Something as preventable and treatable as diarrhoea should not cause as many children to die as it does. Only 39% of children that get diarrhoea in India receive the recommended treatments (UNICEF/WHO, Diarrhoea: Why children are still dying and what can be done? ). If these children had received proper treatment, or had a vaccination to prevent this in the first place they would most likely still be alive. Aids was once thought to be the most targeted killer of children in developing countries, but now, a preventable and curable illness like diarrhoea has taken the lead. Diarrhoea now kills more young children than AIDS, malaria measles combined. (UNICEF/WHO, Diarrhoea: Why children are still dying and what can be done, 2009) As illustrated below in Figure 2, cases of diarrhoea did appear to decline briefly from 1992-1993 only to rise quickly again by 1998 (Nath, 2003). Figure 2: Reported Data on Diarrhoea in India from 1989 to 1998 (Nath,2003) As noted in Klass’ essay (India, 1986) expectations are different in India and North America regarding child life expectancy. In North America what seemingly are simple things like clean water, and toilets, are rare in most parts of India. We, in America also expect the government to readily step in with immunization programs and funding if needed. In India there are immunization programs but they are not readily implemented. We expect our children to live longer and not die from preventable disease due to unsanitary conditions. In India, it is expected that children may precede their parents in death, due to preventable illness caused by lack of sanitation. With millions of children dying yearly in India from sanitation related illness, maybe it is time something was done instead of just being said. How to cite The Link Between Sanitation and Child Life Expectancy in India Critical Analysis, Essays

Distribution Channels free essay sample

The distribution Channels allows companies be more competitive, searching how to reduce costs and helping consumers to acquire on an easy way their product. A company that has good distribution channel has a relevant competitive advantage in the market. Distribution channels have advantages and disadvantages that are going to be described along this essay. It is important to take into account that it exist two channels of distribution; industrial and consumer channels. The purpose to mention this is because this two canals if there are very good strategic organized, generates aggregate value to the product, and a result the satisfaction of the consumer and overcoming its expectations about the product. If through the entire channel it is added value by each integrant, the product will be a competitive and top good or service. The book also mentions that the management that it’s in charge of the distribution has to be monitoring the environment. We will write a custom essay sample on Distribution Channels or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The reason of that is that the market environment is always changing, if this environment is efficient monitored, the company can be a step forward so this changes can’t be able to affect the strategic performance. To be continued, also the book mentions some advantages because of the participation of intermediaries in the channel which are: the specialization and division of labor, the reduction of discrepancies of quantity and assortment of merchandise, there is a less distance with the target market, facilitates the purchase process, there is a significant reduction of contacts, facilitates scale economies and as we mentioned on the paragraph before there is a collaboration in the generation of aggregate value of time, place and form. To end with, it is relevant knowing that retailers and wholesalers (intermediaries) contribute in reducing the gaps between producers and consumers, in quality of place and moment. On the other hand, there are several disadvantages that must be taken into account. To start with, according to the book the distribution channels are also social systems, because of this reason the channel has to face with ome problems like: internal conflicts between members of the channel and also between the same members of the organization, another problem is power, this can be a double-edged sword, power has to be applied in the right moment, if not it could generate internal and external conflicts. When it is mentioned power it is important to know that the book talks about 5 types which are: rewarding, coercive, formally legalized, referent and expert. The third problem that can appear is roles, this is an important factor that if is not specified along the canal and inside the organization, then there may be several problems like for example decreasing the quality of the product, service, incoherence between consumers, distributers and producers. To finish with, the last social problem that can leap up is the communication process, if there is not good communication it would be very difficult to achieve the objectives that where purpose at the beginning. There are also some disadvantages because of the participation of the intermediaries in the channels which are: loss of control and management of the merchandise, loss of the information and loss of sales force. To conclude, it is important to take these disadvantages into account, because this problems that rise up in the distribution channel can be controlled with a good strategy, an efficient coordination of the inputs through all the channel, also creating specific and clear objectives, which can cover all participating members of the channel, making this link between needs and performance satisfying both consumers and each individual that participates giving value to the product.

Analysis On Booz, Allen And Hamilton. Essays - Management Consulting

Analysis On Booz, Allen And Hamilton. Introduction Booz-Allen & Hamilton is one of the world's largest management consulting firms. Traditionally, the firm had decentralized regional offices serving clients independent of other offices. This made cooperation between offices difficult, which was hurting company's overall performance. To overcome this problem they came up with a Vision 2000 plan under which the company was divided into three regions which were further sub-divided (see exhibit 1). This was the first phase of the plan and the company was considering implementation of the second phase which was to globally integrate all the three regions. Advantages of Vision 2000 plan ? The biggest challenge that the company was facing was cooperation between different offices but this problem was solved because of the new compensation plan. ? It made the geographic expansion easier as the offices now shared the staff within the same region. ? The Target Client concept helped the company in developing long-term relationships with the clients which resulted in increasing revenues (see exhibit 2). ? The Mentoring program resulted in development and evolution of better consultants. It also helped the company in serving the personal needs of the consultants and provided as a skill set for mentors to become partners. ? The extensive training programs that consisted of four delivery channels really helped in training and increasing the efficiency of the consultants. ? The globally integrated structure of knowledge sharing through different programs gave the company a competitive edge over its competitors. ? Through the Knowledge On-Line databases, the consultants could get considerable amounts of information about the clients and could also get knowledge and expertise of other consultants from all over the world. These information databases helped consultants serve the needs of clients better with analysis formulated by other consultants. ? Through the knowledge sharing amongst innovation teams, the company used to come up with solutions on particular problems. ? The monitoring of the engagement teams through information professionals also helped in keeping a check on team's performance. Also they helped the team to put the knowledge gained after the engagement for the use of the other consultants in the future. ? Greater integration and communication between teams working on the same client helped in understanding and serving the client better. ? Higher growth in revenues and Profits was achieved against competitors (see exhibit 3). Disadvantages of Vision 2000 plan ? The staffing and planning process became very difficult and complex because the company wanted to give the clients the best consultants possible and tried it's best to match the consultant's expertise to the client's needs. ? Cultural Differences and higher demand for expert consultants also created a problem in the allocation of consultants. ? High cost and inefficiencies were also associated with allocating management. ? Lot of times consultants didn't want to move from their original places of practice to where the client was located and therefore the strain of traveling and moving affected their performance. ? Consultants often wanted to broaden their knowledge by shifting into different industry groups making expertise in one group shorthanded. Recommendations After looking at the above advantages and disadvantages of the vision 2000 plan, I recommend that they should not globally integrate their three regions into one because of the following reasons: ? Already the company is facing problems because of cultural differences and further integration would increase these differences. ? The cost of traveling and communications would increase by further integration because of larger distances. ? The strain of traveling and moving would also increase which would result in high staff turnover and would also affect staff performance. ? Already the staffing and planning process is complex and difficult and further integration would make it worse. ? Without global integration, the company could very well manage the projects of its very important client -IAL all around the world through its advanced communication and knowledge sharing methods. ? The main benefit that is associated with the global integration is that better staff knowledge and expertise can be utilized from all over the world but the company to a large extent is already successful in doing that through its advanced knowledge sharing methods. So instead of globally integrating, I think they should focus on their current strengths such as building long term relationships with their clients, recruiting and retaining more expert consultants and making

How to Score a Six Figure Trucker Payday!

How to Score a Six Figure Trucker Payday! Whatever your reasons are for becoming a truck driver, it’s obvious what one of your goals is while working as one- to get paid! Every truck driver worth his steering wheel dreams of earning a monster paycheck while driving the open road. Want a six-figure annual salary? Keep reading- AllTruckJobs.com helps you map out a route to your dream payday:HustleTruckers aren’t afraid to hustle, which often means working long hours and extra shifts whenever possible. Not only will this up your take-home pay, it’ll make you more valuable to your employer- a great bargaining chip to have when negotiating a pay raise.Be FearlessTake the jobs no one else will take- they pay more for a reason! Jobs that come with an added payload, namely danger, also come with more money. If you’re willing to haul cargo across treacherous icy roads or through dangerous, war-torn countries, you can put yourself in a position to make those six-figures.Be a BossBuy your own rig, become an owner-operator, and you can expect to pull in over six figures. But don’t forget that as an owner you’re also responsible for all associated costs, like rig maintenance, which might eat into your bottom line.Here’s the deal: Earning a six-figure salary as a trucker isn’t going to be easy, especially considering that the average salary is just about half of that ($49,000 in 2014). But where there’s a will, there’s a way!The Road to Riches: How to Earn Six Figures in Truck DrivingRead More at www.alltruckjobs.com

Microsoft India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Microsoft India - Essay Example Microsoft overhauled its entire marketing strategy in India to be able to gain favor with the Indian customers. It had to abandon its â€Å"one size fits all† principle that was the main strategy of the company and made it a force to be reckoned with in highly developed countries. They had to be more aware of the needs and the capacity of the customers in India and developed ways that will allow them to compete with its extremely cheaper competitors of open source programs and imitations. They had to create a renewed perception in the view of the customers that Microsoft is affordable. More than this, they were able to establish that the company works for them and is flexible to their needs instead of the other way around. Had Microsoft not bent to the market and waited (or demanded) for the status quo similar to that in the US, then its presence in India would be nothing more than superfluous and their market in the country will stagnate sale the few consumers willing to shed what is on their market value exorbitant amounts.They were able to address the issues by creating innovations that help out the people. The retail-base products that they sold by monthly increments was a genius way that was fit for the consumption attitude of the market and the availability of their resources. They have paved the way as a venue for social change especially for their projects that help out schools and small businesses while being able to gain profit and establishing the presence of Microsoft in the country.

Coffee Shop Retailing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Coffee Shop Retailing - Essay Example The Starbuck coffee still leads its competitor, Costa in the market share. A survey conducted on the market performance of the two brands showed that Starbucks commanded a market share of 27% compared to Costa which commands 15 % of the market while the rest of the market is being shared between the small companies. In rating the market of the coffee with the substitute beverages, coffee in general comes third behind tea and Juice. 70% of the adults in UK takes coffee, 81% take juice while 83 % of the adult population takes tea (Kolk 2012). 2011 is a year where coffee experienced more innovations in its brands. The culture of taking coffee has been entrenched among the UK consumers and it is considered as the luxury which is affordable to all users. The quality of the product has been greatly improved by innovation through product development. The leading manufacturer of coffee is Nestle UK. The company’s product enjoys a market share of 42%. Basically the presence of instant coffee is the major reason behind success of the Nestle Company in the manufacturing sector. The coffee pods also have contributed to the growth of coffee consumption in general (Kolk 2012). Findings A coffee shop serves not only coffee but also tea, light lunch and some deserts. A local coffee shop can attract a large market by ensuring the frequent customers remains loyal. Commitment is required in order to accomplish a successful marketing. Usually most of the marketing and is done through the interaction with customers. Existing customers invite new customers; coffee shops provide a good social experience among the customers thus it is ideal for interaction. Some common coffee brands in the UK markets includes, Maxwell House coffee, Nescafe, Lavazza, Starbucks, Melitta, Kenco coffee among others. The market of these brands has depended mainly on the marketing of the brand. Retailers benefit from brands which have already established in the market. The main coffee brands in the U K market are Starbucks and the Costa brand. The famously world brand (Starbucks) carries the larger coffee market as compared to the Costa brand. The brand has several outlets throughout the country (Kolk 2012). A part from the coffee business, the coffee offers food together with the coffee, in order to increase income and also increase convenience to the customers. Though selling of food stuffs have been expanding among the coffee shop, the challenge is competitions from the established bakers and other competitors in selling the foodstuffs. Research shows that selling of foodstuffs within the coffee shops has been on the increase in the UK market and therefore the trend in coffee shop development has changed the marketing strategies shops rendering the services Quality of services A successful marketing would start with the kind of products and services being offered. Development of a variety of services would beneficial to the coffee shops than sticking to just offering coffee. Variety of services that are customer friendly benefits in expansion since advertisements is more efficient when done orally. Some the benefits that would ensure more customer base is ensuring the customers comfort. Ensuring that every table has a supply of electricity enables the customers to have a comfortable cup of coffee while using the laptops. Other services which are essential in increasing the customers include introducing live entertainment and uniqueness in provision of services.

Setting up a new refinery in Panama Research Paper

Setting up a new refinery in Panama - Research Paper Example A production plant processes the feedstock of a refinery. A depot, tank farm, is usually located near or at a petroleum refinery and it stores bulk of liquid products. A refinery is considered as a vital part of the downstream end of the petroleum industry. There are very important and major roles played by refineries in development of countries, regions and the world as a whole. Professionals in this field are cognizant of the reality that natural resources are scarce, the importance and desire for practices that are sustainable. They also reckon the need for social fairness in the use of these limited resources. They are therefore tasked with the leading role in designing, planning, building and securing a sustainable future. Refineries act as link between natural resources and the consumer. In their capacity, oil planners must continuously take part in multidisciplinary teams often with other professionals, such as economists, sociologists, and ecologists to address the issues and challenges of sustainable natural resource development. They should therefore advocate economic principles that recognize our environment and natural resources as capital assets. The largest chunk of Panama’s trade transactions take place in the Colon Free Trade zone, the biggest free trade zoned in the world. From the estimates of the Colon Zone Management, this trade region has accounted for 92% of Panama’s exports and 64% imports in during 2007. In 1982, Panama entered into a Bilateral Investment Treaty with the United States. This agreement has been put in place to protect the United States private investment in Panama and also help it in developing its economy. In addition, Panama and the US signed an FTA agreement in 2007 and are under implementation. The United States is by far the principal trade partner of Panama. It accounts for about a third of Panama’s imports and exports. Panama’s major trade partners according to CIA reports for 2009 are as follows: Exports Imports United States 39.2% United States 29.6% Netherlands 10.7% Costa Rica 5% Costa Rica 5.8% China 5% Sweden 5.4% Japan 4.2% The main exports from Panama are; B ananas, Coffee, Shrimp, Sugar and Clothing. The nation is highly dependent of consumer and capital goods. The trade situation has improved significantly owing to the endeavor to expand the Panama Canal that has been under construction since 2007. The project is estimated to be $5.3 billion and is expected to continue the revamping on the trade sector. The number one agricultural export- predominantly controlled by foreigners is bananas. It is followed by shrimp. Panama experienced a decline in exports of about 11% from 1997 to 1998. This was caused by quotas imposed by the EU on banana exports and that banana exports contribute a fifth of all exports. The Free Trade Zone has increased the light industry exports, manufacturing and clothing textiles. On the other hand, Panama has experienced competition from Mexico starting 1996 and has experienced stunted growth since 1998 due to protective tariffs imposed on the country. COUNTRY EXPORTS IMPORTS BALANCE United States 354 1,117 -763 S weden 62 25 37 Costa Rica 41 119 -78 Mexico 24 133 -109 Guatemala 21 62 -41 Spain 13 61 -48 Japan 12 186 -174 Colombia 9 116 -107 Ecuador 4 243 -239 Venezuela 4 222 -218 Foreign firm investment in Panama A foreign firm seeking investment in a large firm would be at an advantage

Analyzing of Economic Data Using Big Data

Analyzing of Economic Data Using Big Data N.Rajanikumar, Dr.A.Suresh babu, Mr.G.Murali Abstract: Big data can help at the e commerce data. The big-picture problems, the economic indicator many investors, business fortunate and judges are rely on are just too outdated by the time they’re out. People â€Å"pitch to the number,† but the world has often moved since it was considered and they won’t know it until the next report comes out. Take, for example, the case of increasing food prices in India and China that are pouring up price rises for a major percentage of the world’s residents. But principle claims to have been seeing the movement shaping up for weeks. Premise is able to capture economic data in close to real-time in some cases or at least much closer to it in others thanks to the technology trifecta of e-commerce, cloud computing and Smartphone’s. However, while e-commerce data is supportive for gauging the prices of certain goods in certain economies, it doesn’t really touch emerging economies where the vast popular of transactions are still local and cash-based. If groceries prices are rising across Asia, for example, that likely income, along with other things, inferior health and less money to spend on non-essential end user goods. That’s where mobile devices come into play in the form of Premise’s Android host. The company has more than 700 contributors in 25 cities, mostly in Asia and Latin America, who go into stores and markets and capture data about exact items on which Premise desires data. â€Å"We use them as sort of detection agents. The contributors take a picture of the item either on the shelf or in a market stall; it syncs with Premise’s servers in the blur; and Premise’s system is then able to extract information from the photos. It can verify information such as price, brand and quality of the items, and even ecological information such as how clean the store is and how stocked the shelves are. Interestingly, but not without warning, the app that con tributors use is only for Android phones. Keywords: Apache Hadoop API Using HDFS, Mapreduce, Pig, Hive, Linux-Unix, windows,Eclips. 1. INTRODUCTION This paper mainly focuses on how to manage huge amount of data and how to analyse the data. The technology used for this is hadoop technology . In this project the data taken is Economic data from various E-commerce websites. Then the data is stored into HDFS( hadoop distributed file system) format in the form of clusters. After the storage is done, then the processing of data can be done based on the user requirements. The processing of data can be done using many modes. Hadoop basically contains many ecosystems which provide different ways of processing or analyzing the data in different environments. There are two basic methods of Hadoop are HDFS and MapReduce. HDFS is used to stock up the data and MapReduce is used to progression the data. In MapReduce we write codes in java to analyze the data in whatever way we want to. The ecosystems in Hadoop are also for processing and analyzing the data. The different ecosystems of hadoop are pig, hive, chukwa, HBase, ZooKeeper, sqoop etc. Here pig, hive and sqoop have been implemented. So the first ecosystem implemented is pig. Pig is scripting language. It can process both structured and unstructured data. In this pig scripts are written on the data to get results. Then hive is a query language, it can handle only structured data. In this queries are written on to the data to analyze it. Then finally sqoop, it is actually a support for hadoop rather than an ecosystem. It is used to transfer data from one data base to other. And after the processing of data the results are displayed. 2. What Is Big Data? Big Data refers to the data sets whose size makes it difficult for commonly used data capturing software tools to interpret, manage, and process them within a reasonable time frame. Big data sizes are a continually moving target, as of 2012 ranging from a few dozen TERABYTES to many PETABYTES of data in a single data set. With this difficulty, new platforms of big data tools are being developed to handle various aspects of big quantities of data. BIG DATA concept means a datasets which continues to grow so much it difficult to manage it using existing database management concept and tools. The difficulty can be related to retrieve the capturing of data, storage, searching and virtualization, etc. The challenges associated with Big Data are the â€Å"4 V’s†: Volume, velocity, Variety, and value. The Volume challenges exist because most businesses generate much more then what their system were designed to handle. The velocity challenge exists if company’s data analysis or data storage runs slower than its data generation. The variety challenge exists because of the need to process difference types of data to produce the desired insights. The value challenge applies to deriving valuable insights from data, which is the most important of all V’s in my view. Fig1. 4V’s of Big Data 3. What is E-Commerce? A type of trade model, or part of a larger business model, that enables a firm or individual to perform business over an electronic network, typically the internet. Electronic commerce operates in all four of the major market segments: business to business, business to consumer, consumer to consumer and consumer to business. It can be thought of as a more advanced form of mail-order purchasing through a catalogue. Almost any product or service can be offered via ecommerce, from books and music to financial services and plane tickets. Investopedia explains Electronic Commerce: e-commerce E-commerce has approved firms to set up a market existence, or to improve an active market spot, by providing a cheaper and more capable distribution chain for their products or services. 4. Why Big Data is a must in ecommerce The buzz nearby Big Data is far away from being needless. Not only does it permit merchants to gain deeper insights into customer behavior and industry trends, but it also lets them make more precise decisions to improve just about every feature of the business, from selling and publicity, to merchandising, operations, and even customer maintenance. Below are a few more points that deeper explain the impacts of Big data in the Ecommerce empire. From improving customer familiarity to developing better products or marketing campaigns, it’s no question that Big Data is the next big thing for online businesses. 5. Characteristics of Big Data A Big data proposal can give a solution which is planned specifically with the needs of the venture. The following are the basic characters of the Big data: Comprehensive – It should offer a broad platform, and address all three dimensions velocity, volume and variety. Enterprise Ready – It should include the performance, reliability, performance and security features. Integrated – It should enable integration with information supply chain including databases, data warehouses and business intelligence applications. Open Source Based It should be open source technology with enterprise class functionality. Low latency. Robust and reliability. Scalability. Extensibility. Allows adhoc queries. Minimal Maintenance. 6. BIG DATA OFFERS There are many vendors offering BIG DATA Analytics are IBM, KOGNITO, etc. Here in this paper I have discussed about the IBM Platform. Fig -2: IBM Platform of BIG DATA 7. Big Data Challenges There are focal challenges of BIG DATA are data variety, velocity, volume and analytical workload intricacy More number of organizations is belligerent to compact with many problems with the large amount of data. In order to solve this problem, the organizations need to ease the amount of data being stored and develop new storage techniques which can improve storage use. 8. Uses of Big Data for Online Retailers Most minute merchants’ think that Big Data analysis is for well-built companies. In fact, it is essential for minute businesses, too, as they attempt to partake with the larger ones. This becomes even more important as online retailers proceed together with their customers in real time. Note, however, that management large sets of data can increase a site’s load time. A slow site troubles every aspect of the shopping procedure. Here are six uses of Big Data for online retailers. Personalization, Dynamic pricing, Customer service, Managing fraud, Supply chain visibility,Predictive analytics. ‘Big Data’ and e-commerce Tuesday 25 September 2012 9. Conclusion The expansion of information particularly of unstructured dataposes a special challengeas the volumeand diversity ofdata. One of the most promise technologies is the Apache Hadoop and Map Reduce structure for dealing with this big data problem. Big Data is a popular trend in business and in marketing. The concept can indicate different things to different businesses. For ecommerce, retailers should seek to use Big Data to collect big information, if you will, that may be used to make better marketing decisions,. 10. REFERENCES [1] Ecommerce.about.com [2] bloomreach.com/2012/05/ecommerce-challenges-that-can-be-solved-by-hadoop-and-big-data-apps/ [2] Ziff Davis, â€Å"E-Commerce.† Software World, 2003, vol. 30,pp. 207-212. [3] X. J. Tong, W. Jiang, â€Å"Research of Secure System of Electronic Commerce Based on Mix Encryption,† Microprocessors, 2006, vol. 4, pp. 44-47. [4] S. H. Qing, Cryptography and Computer Network Security. Beijing: Tsinghua University Press, 2001. [5] Y. P. Hu, Y. Q. Zhang, Symmetric Cryptography. Beijing: Machinery Industry Press, 2002. [6] S. Z. Guan. Public Key Infrastructure PKI and Certification Authority. Beijing: Publishing House of Electronics Industry, 2002.

Leadership and Management Essay -- essays research papers

1. A. Is there a difference between effective leadership and effective management? Yes, I believe that managers are analytical, structured, controlled, deliberate, and orderly. Leaders are experimental, willing to take chances, visionaries, flexible, unfettered, and creative. These are the differences between management and leaders. B. Someone from the 21st century who I believe is an effective leader is Steven Jobs, of Apple computers. I believe he is an effective leader because he pursues visions even when his competition has a strong hold on the computer industry. He still motivates his people to keep coming up with ideals to stay competitive with Microsoft and not let them run a monopoly on software and patents on computers. His power base is that he senses opportunities and pursues dreams to keep his company competitive. C. A leader of the opposite sex that I think is like Steve Jobs is Martha Stewart. She had a vision to take home decorating and cooking to another level by connecting with millions of homemakers through TV shows and the selling of her products through K-mart. Martha was just pursuing her dreams to play in the corporate world with men. She senses opportunity when she sees it. She had the intuition to make her company a profitable one when her critics told her it would never work. D. I do feel that there is a general pattern of male/female leadership styles because leaders must be able to apply influence, develop people, set examples, inspire people, mana...

Cenralistaion vs Decentalisation

The main decisions are made by senior management, where little authority is passed down the organisation. advantages †¢ decisions are made by experienced people with an overview of the company. †¢ ensures policies are consistent throughout the company. †¢ ensures quick decisions can be made without consultation. †¢ procedures such as ordering and purchasing can be standardised throughout the company, leading to economies of scale. †¢ in times of crisis the firm may need strong leadership by a central group of senior managers. disadvantages (mainly advantages of decentralisation) centralisation reduces the input of the day to day experts, e. g. , the shop floor staff, into the firms decision making. †¢ it risks demoralising branch managers who may feel mistrusted or powerless. Decentralisation Decisions are made by junior management as authority is passed down the organisation, thereby accepting less uniformity in how things are down. There has been a trend in the 1980s and 1990s is to decentralise to provide greater flexibility. advantages †¢ reduces the stress and burdens of senior management †¢ it can empower local managers encouraging them to be more innovated and motivated. it reduces the volume of day to day communication between head office and the branches, therefore giving senior managers the time to consider long term strategy. †¢ subordinates may have a better knowledge of local conditions affecting their areas of work. This should allow them to make more informed well judged choices, e. g. , salespersons have detailed knowledge of customers. †¢ management at middle and junior levels are groomed to take over higher positions. They are given the experience of decision making when carrying out delegated tasks (management development). could allow greater flexibility and a quicker response to changes. If problems do not have to referred to senior management decision making will be quicker. Since decisions are quicker, they are easier to change in the light of unforeseen circumstances. disadvantages †¢ reduction in uniformity may unsettle customers who expect every Sainsbury’s to look the same or for every McDonald’s hamburger to contain just one slice of gherkin. †¢ head office is in a position to measure the success of every aspect of the product and sales mix, therefore its instructions may prove more profitable than local manager’s intuition. Conclusion It is unlikely there will ever be complete centralisation or decentralisation. Certain functions within a business will always be centralised because of their importance, e. g. , decisions about budget allocation are likely to be centralised as they affect the whole economy. The decision to distribute profits is also taken only by a few. Some delegation is necessary in all firms because the limits to the amount of work senior management can carry out. Even if authority is delegated to a subordinate it is usual for the manager to retain responsibility.

Cera Sanitaryware Ltd

CERA SANITARYWARE LTD COMPANY BACKGROUND Cera Sanitaryware Limited (Cera), a Gujarat-based company, was established in 1980. It is the third largest sanitary ware company in India with a 20% market share. Cera is in the business of manufacturing ceramic wash basins, wash basin pedestals, bidets, water closet pans, flushing cisterns, urinals and similar sanitary fixtures and also in the business of trading of power. Its sanitaryware manufacturing plant is located at Kadi in Gujarat. With a production capacity of 2. million (mn) pieces per annum (25,000 tonnes per annum), it is India’s largest sanitaryware plant. It also has wind farms located at Jamnagar and Kutch in Gujarat. PRODUCT PROFILE †¢ Sanitaryware o Premium Collection o Regular Collection o Senator Collection o Wall Hung Basin †¢ Glass Basins †¢ Shower Range †¢ Whirlpool & Bath Tubs †¢ Pozzi Ginori COMPETITORS [pic] INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHTS [pic] PORTER’S FIVE FORCES CONCLUSION Based on Appe ndice 1 The  sanitaryware  manufacturers  in  the  unorganized  sector  continue to enjoy duty exemptions, which is not conducive for  healthy competition.CSL faces a lot of competition from the unorganized sector in Gujarat which is a cause for concern to the company. After studying the Model, we can conclude that Sanitaryware  business completely depends on the development and booming of the Housing and Retail Sector. Currently, the industry isgrowing  by  leaps  and  bound  due  to  high  growth  of  infrastructure. In near future, the great phase of consolidation will start. Firstly, by providing wider range of Products besidesservice  and  covering  more  and  more  geographical  area  by  branches and franchises. SWOT ANALYSIS Based on Appendice 2Recommendations †¢ Need to give full knowledge about product use to customers through advertisement in magazines, newspaper or TV. channel. †¢ Need to make some improve ment in products to satisfy its customer. †¢ There should be all information regarding product use, installation, product features, and emergency repair of product in User Manual. †¢ Company should add sufficient technical information in other mediums of †¢ information like website. So customer can use alternate way for †¢ information. †¢ Company should provide technical expert employee for every specific area.Those can personally solve the problem of customer. †¢ If company is not providing service to its customer timely. Then there should be provision of compensation to its customer PRODUCT MIX [pic] Cera’s product mix  Ã‚  and new marketing strategies: Cera has a mix of products that would cater to all needs of consumer. Cera has top end products like the Senator Collection, the Shower Temples with Jacuzzi features in them. Cera also has the Premium Collection focused at middle end users and the Regular collection which includes the Indian E WCs as well as European EWCs for the lower end customers.In Bath Fittings, the Single Lever Bath fittings are for the elite, followed by the Quarter turn and the half turn fittings meant for  people looking for more economical range. 7P’S Product: Product of the company as is defined in company’s introductory chapter is a sanitaryware product having mainly  extraordinary features like twin flush water saving product, soft close seat cover, shower temple product. This product talks about giving a spa foot massage and inbuilt Jacuzzi unit which give experience artificial water waves and facility like radio and telecalling with six body jetspray.Price: Prices  of  the  product  and  services  offered  are  competitivecompared to our competitors products and also provide value for money to the customers. Because as we talked  in  the  earlier  Ã‚  paragraph that features provided in the products are very uniqueand are having low cost so finally company becomes best cost  provider in the  market. Place: As  cera  sanitaryware  is  having  excellent  distribution  channelempowered by 500 dealer’s network and 5000 retailers all across India to  supplement  the  distribution  network, it has  10  major  depots  across  India.It  has  7  zonal  sales  &  service  offices,supported by another 28 sales offices, 7 bath studios strategicallylocated in major cities across India. To capitalize on the growth market for premium products, Cera has entered into an exclusivemarketing  agreement  with  Italy's  luxury  brand  Pozzi-Ginori  tomarket its designer sanitaryware in India. Promotion: Cera sanitaryware ltd. has always been proactive in promotional activities for increasing thebrand awareness among the consumer so the company has promotional scheme directedtowards consumer as well as its partner (dealer). Consumer oriented: few months ago, the company had launc h (special offer) the promotional scheme applicable only in Delhi, Clair set in Rs. 3999/- for only one month. †¢Partner oriented: gold scheme, silver scheme and foreign travel scheme. People: In ceramic industry as goods are produced and prompt service is given to the people i. e. employees need to be highly trained and qualified. So requires good qualified and expertise employees to this competitive industry. Cera sanitary ware has achieved a good sense of the same by employing highly qualified employees like M. B. A. nd other Marketing specialized. Physical Evidence: Cera sanitary ware is providing catalogs to their customers as a physical evidence of  purchasing the product. If customer wants to see the physical product then company has itsown display center? Cera bath studio? in metro cities of India. Process: This last step of marketing mix of  Cera sanitary ware includes following points to be done for making the product available to the  customers. †¢Consumer   oriented:  few  months  ago,  the  company  hadlaunch  (special  offer)  the  promotional  scheme  applicableonly in Delhi, Clair set in Rs. 3999/- for only one month. Partner  oriented:  gold  scheme,  silver  scheme  and  foreigntravel scheme. Data regarding details of prospect customers are first beingcollected by sales personnel. †¢These personnel then make calling and getting appointmentsfrom prospects to explain product and services. †¢Ã‚  Next  step  includes  meeting  and  explaining  product  andservices. †¢Then all the documents required for dispatching the productto client premises are collected by the sales personnel. †¢These all documents are then submitted to Head Office at Ahmedabad. †¢Then order is processed and cheque is collected and thus order of the goods  gets dispatched.STP of SENATOR COLLECTION Segmentation: The segmentation of SERA products has been done as follows: †¢ Hig h End Segment †¢ Lower and Upper Middle Segment †¢ Mass Market Segment These segments are keeping in mind the income levels, taste and preferences. Targeting: For the Senator Collection CERA has targeted the high end segment with unique feature like shower temples, Jacuzzi and sensor technologies. Positioning: It has positioned the senator collection as a premium brand and effectively did so through its TVC ad campaign. Appendice 2: Portes Five Forces Model Rivalry Among Existing Players:There are about 20-25 organized players and high percentage of unprganized players whose market share is very high. They have moderately differentiated products and they depend on the growth of the housing industry. Bargaining Power of buyer: The buyer has a wide range of products to choose from and information about the products is easily available. The switching cost is very low. Thus CERA needs to increase its awareness as bargaining power of buyer is very high Bargaining power of Suppl ier CERA is moderately dependant on its suppliers as there is limited number of suppliers in the marketThreat of new entrants The industry entry is difficult due to high cost of set up and manpower, non availability if materials. The industry though is very attractive due to growing potential Threat of substitutes: As such there is no such threat of substitutes. Appendice 1 SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS: †¢ India’s first to use natural gas firing. Direct connection of natural gas from GAIL has certainly helped CERA in better margins. However, this is only one of the several advantages. CERA has captive power plant using natural gas. CERA also has wind turbines.Thus CERA is not dependent on government electricity board for its power requirements. Others will take a long time to catch up. Further, CERA is getting natural gas on very cheap rate directly from the ONGC oil fields, which will continue to be cheap, wherein others are getting imported LNG which is three times costlier than what Cera is getting. †¢ India’s first to launch twin flushtechnology ; 4 liters flush WC. We have twin flush models that on an average consume only 4 liters of water, against the others which can use up to 6 liters every flush. That quantifies to 50% of water saving.With water scarcity in urban areas, there are a lot of initiatives that have already been taken by Metros like Mumbai. Others will have to soon follow in order to save water. †¢ Wide product range. Capitalizing on a strong brand image and an evolving market for bathroom products, CSL expanded its product range to other related products like shower panels, shower cubicles, shower temples, bath tubes, whirlpools, bath fittings etc. , which makes it a total bathroom solutions provider. †¢ Huge distribution network. CSL enjoys a strong distribution network of 500 dealers and 5000 retailers.To supplement the distribution network, the company has several depots and zonal offices across India. This will help the company in increasing its market share. WEAKNESSES. †¢ The company has only one manufacturing plant at Kadi, Gujarat. While its nearest competitors HSIL and parry ware has more than one manufacturing plant strategically located across different parts of India to bridge the gap between demand and supply. †¢ Large unorganized existence. †¢ Low R;D for product innovation. OPPORTUNITIES †¢ Rising domestic demand for tile, sanitary ware and table ware.

Commemorating Black History Month essays

Commemorating Black History Month essays Commemorating Black History Month During the past, African Americans have suffered injustice and discrimination due to their race. Some of the most prominent figures during our history are DIana Ross, Sojourner Truth, Mary Mcleod Bethune, Alice Walker, Langston Hughes, and Martin Luther King. They have fought against prejudice and opened up doors for others. Some stirred the beginnings of freedom and equal rights for all. They were all very important figures in American History. They are a part of the people who formed this nation to be what it is today. I specifically chose people like Mary Mcleod Bethune, Alice Walker, And Langston Hughes because of their contribution to our society.Mary Mcleod Bethune Mary McLeod Bethune, born to former slaves a decade after the end of the Civil War, devoted her life to ensuring the right to education and freedom from discrimination for black Americans. Bethune believed that through education, blacks could begin to earn a living in a country that still opposed racial equality. She started her own school and continuously fought segration where she saw it. More than that she served presidents from Coolidge to Roosevelt as a Advisor of Minority Affairs. She succeeded politically as well as in her own community, she endlessly worked in what she believed in . Alice Walker and Langston Hughes are not only the best african American writers but they are the best writer this nation has produced. They have touched people spiritually and mentally through their writings. And also participated in Civil Righ ts movements of their time. They were one of the very few Black writer of their time and paved the way for others. Other eminent African American Figures figures in History are Diana Ross, Martin Luther King and Sojourner Truth. Diana Ross is one of the most successful African Americans and has contributed a great deal. She paved the way for other African Americans and women in the music industr...

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Sociology - Essay Example This paper intends to focus on the influence of gender on life chances. Gender has a highly significant influence on life chances of an individual. Gender refers to ideas and practices that are socially determined concerning the significance of being male or female. This is clear from the past changes in the attitudes of both men and women, which are witnessed through the changes in roles played by them especially in relation to marriage, employment, and rearing of children. â€Å"Gender ideology was a crucial determinant of women's experiences in the early republic. Although new market imperatives made women's labor increasingly valuable to household survival (writ small) and capitalist production (writ large), older patriarchal arrangements continued to limit the opportunities of working women† (Rockman, 1816). The activities and attitudes of men and women are different and this is not natural but is taught through primary socialization when they were children. This is furth er contributed by secondary socialization when they grow up. ... The family is an integrative and dynamic unit that can provide the foundation for one’s core values and belief systems (Haralambos and Holborn 2000)† (McQuillan & Ravanera, 2006, p 160). The family influence can be quite high during childhood days. Gender discrimination starts from early ages as boys and girls are treated differently by their parents. A girl child is often expected to do housework. Besides female children are given lesser freedom and parents usually remain protective of them. Schools also influence in increasing the discrimination between male and female children. Similarly, peer group also determines children’s behavior in certain ways. At school females are good at studies at school levels and the number of girls going to universities is higher than that of boys. But when it comes to earnings, males generally receive higher income than females. Similarly, the numbers of women who do part time jobs are higher and, again, in most cases, they recei ve lower salary than their counterparts, because these jobs fit their home and family commitments. It is also seen that women are heading most of the single parent families. A majority of them are widows and this is mainly because the life expectation of women is higher than men. These factors contribute to an increase in the rate of poverty and the burden of this falls on women. Thus, the power and supremacy automatically transfer to the hands of men. Patriarchy is a sexual system characterized by male superiority over power and economic privilege. â€Å"Patriarchy places limits on the achievements of women and reduces the value of the feminine by picturing women as limited human beings, the opposite of privileged and capable men. Women are the majority of the unemployed. Men

Business strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Business strategy - Essay Example To begin with, it would be vital for the company to clearly define its mission statement before venturing into the emerging market. This can be achieved through use of strategic analysis, which allows the company to formulate necessary measures that would help it develop and maintain high performance in the market (Collis 1999). In this regard, it would be crucial if the company evaluated factors that would influence its operations in the emerging market. Such evaluations would involve PEST and SWOT analysis. These are crucial in that according to Green and Keegan 2012, in every market, there exists market forces, which dictate operations in the market. In regard to the company in the new market, both internal and external factors need to be assessed comprehensively. For example, it would be vital for the company to know if issues like management or working capital would act as barriers to emerging successful in the new market. Since clothing industry has many players in the market, it would be crucial if the company assessed external forces like environmental and other factors beyond the company’s control (Hill, & Jones 2010). Therefore, such evaluations enable the company to come up with measures to overcome them. SWOT Analysis It is apparent that venturing into a new market calls for strategic planning in order to develop and establish a strong, competitive advantage. However, one of the major factors that determine how to go about the business is the line of business a company is intending to deal with (Hill, & Jones 2010). In this regard, the business is able to analyse the market in relation to services or products intended to be offered in the market. It is, therefore, necessary to analyse factors that would determine the performance of the products offered. Among these factors are strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the business. Strengths The clothing industry can be argued to be a fascinating business only if business entities a nalyse the strength of their operations in the emerging market. Some of the factors to consider include the performance of other brands. For example, it would be vital to study how other brands perform in the market. In light with this, evaluation of the strength of other brands would involve assessing the quality, quantity, and customer service (Green & Keegan 2012). For example, this would involve assessing other men clothing brands. One of the strength of Versace is that venturing in Southern Sudan would give it an opening to develop a mutual relationship with customers by a way of offering best quality products (Todeva 2006). The products should also be adequate and steady in order to satisfy the demand of the market. For example, the company may decide to offer a variety of Versace designs, which would cater for needs of every age group in the market (Hill, & Jones 2010). This would be beneficial in such a way that unlike in other brands where they deal with a niche market, Ver sace will have the advantage of meeting the needs of all men in the market (Bohm 2009). Additionally, Versace may not require a large capital to establish a business in Southern Sudan. Therefore, it would be beneficial for Versace to establish a business in such a market since less capital would be needed. Weaknesses It is apparent that establishing a business in an emerging economy could be tricky in a way. This is arguably true because unlike in an already established economy where the company

Case management concepts to care for patients with high-risk complex Essay

Case management concepts to care for patients with high-risk complex needs - Essay Example Existing literature on the subject of case management has often found that it is successful and beneficial to the patient, their families and their caregivers (Bergen 1992; Pugh et al. 2001; Riegel, Carlson, Kopp, LePetri, Glaser & Unger 2002). Case management can be especially beneficial for patients that have high-risk complex needs, such as elderly patients with congestive heart failure and diabetes, and it appears to be cost effective and improve patients’ quality of life (Pugh et al. 2001). An example of using case management for patients with congestive heart failure is described in an article by Riegel et al. (2002). The study aimed to determine if a standardized telephonic case-management intervention had any effect on reducing the number of resources utilized by patients (Riegel et al. 2002). Participants in the study received standardized calls from a case manager on a regular basis over the six months of the study. Results of this study indicated that the phone call s did significantly decrease the resources required by patients (Id.). The telephonic case-management intervention also resulted in significantly lower costs for patient care. Basically, the study results found that the telephonic case management resulted in significant decreases in physician office visits, hospital days, emergency department visits, and rates of rehospitalization (Id.). Interestingly, the study also found that some of the telephonic case management interventions were more effective than others. However, it is not clear which factors of the intervention actually influence the effectiveness of the results and further research is needed in this area (Id.). Other studies assessing the effectiveness of case management in patients with congestive heart failure also found that case management intervention was beneficial to the patients (Laramee, Levinsky, Sargent, Ross & Callas 2003; Pugh et al. 2001). In fact, nearly all of the research on the subject of using case manag ement strategies with congestive heart failure patients found the intervention could be linked to decreased hospital readmission, cost savings and improved functional health status (Laramee et al. 2003). Another population which can benefit from case management intervention is the population of older people living in the community (Bergen 1992; Bernabei et al. 1998). Existing literature on the subject seems to indicate that integrated community care that includes case management strategies has positive effects on the elderly population that is living in the community (Bernabei et al. 1998).In fact, Bernabei et al. (1998) found the intervention led to reduced risk of hospitalization and reduced length of stay in the hospital or nursing home, less physical decline among patients, and reduced health care costs. Case management strategies have also been beneficial to elderly diabetic patients, especially those living alone (Huang, Wu, Jeng & Lin 2004). Elderly diabetes patients that liv e alone face a number of challenges and often cannot perform self-care independently (Huang et al. 2004). Through home-based case management intervention patients can be educated in diabetes self-management (Funnell et al. 2007). Results of the study indicated that a home-based nursing case management strategy improved quality of life for elderly diabetics living alone, although much more research is needed so that more strategies may be developed to treat these populations in our society Case

Engage In Personal Development Essay Example for Free

Engage In Personal Development Essay 1.1 Describe the duties and responsibilities of own work role Job description 1.2 And 3.1 Explain expectations about own work role as expressed in relevant standards. Evaluate own knowledge, performance and understanding against relevant standards. A day in the life at my setting. Arriving at my setting each day I am required to sign in and note down the time. I put my bag in a safe and secure place so children cannot access. I check the message board and liaise with other staff members for any important updates. We have a child with a food intolerance so I informed the cook to make them aware the child was catered for at all meals during the day. My 1st hour was spent upstairs with the toddlers aged between 2 and 3 years. I then checked the planner to see what activities we had for that day. Today I set up the drawing table ensuring there was enough paper, crayons and chairs available for all the children present. I sat with the children whilst they joined in with the activity. Talking to the children about what they were doing and describing all the different colours, sizes, shapes etc. This was promoting their speech and language development and using creative skills too. Whilst supervising this activity I decided to complete a short observation on one of the children as she began to count and sing. I was interacting with all of the children trying to maintain interest. After a short while it was then time to tidy away all the equipment from the actives in which we encourage the children to help too. Once the room was tidy we decided to take the children outside in to the garden. Most of our toddlers are able to collect and put on their coats which we also encourage to do but some children are unable to achieve this at the moment. I helped to escort the children safely down the stairs ensuring they hold on to the rail and do a head count to make sure all children were present. I performed the outdoor risk assessment using the  daily check list. The children then are supervised using the toilet and washing their hands ready for lunch. I seat the children down at the tables ensuring they have cleaned their hands and they have adequate space to eat. I supply them all with a drink and we sing songs whilst the food is being dished out. I have prepared the child’s food separately who has the food intolerance ensuring they receive the correct meal . The child is also supervised eating to ensure they do not mix foods with the other children. Some children have not developed the skills to cut their own food so I will assist with helping them to do that. Ensuring the meals are cool enough I then give each child a meal and always remind them of good manners by saying â€Å"please† and â€Å"thank you†. If children do not like the meal or try to refuse it I will always encourage them to try it. If I am working alongside the babies the above applies except some of the babies are too young to feed themselves and have not yet developed those skills. Babies will also need help with bottle feeding. I would also prepare the bottle feeds following the nursery policy. Ensuring correct formula is mixed and all bottles have been sterilised. Back in the toddler room, a child was struggling with their food and looked like they was choking. I immediately helped the child by taking the food out of their mouth with my little finger. The child became distressed so I comforted them until they were able to return to their meal. Meal times are always supervised by all members of staff to help with any incidents like this. All meal times are recorded in the daily chart. This is where we write down what the child has eaten so we can relay this back to the parents/carers. When the children have finished their meal I help to clean the children up and get them ready for their afternoon sleep. I assist with the toileting and other members of staff will go through the nappy change routine. The children in the toddler room go to find their own sleep mats with the aid of their name and picture tag. Most children will remove their own footwear but again some have not yet developed those skills, so I will help. Some children have their own comforters which I put out for them and I help to get them off to sleep with gentle patting. Once the children are asleep, I ensure the room monitors are on and working, make sure the room temperature is ok and all the children have their own blankets and they are safe. I then record each child in the daily sleep chart. This chart is for ours and parents benefits. We record when they sleep and when they wake up. As some children are only allowed a certain amount of sleep, this will help us to know when we have to wake them up. I then check on the children in the sleep room every 10 minutes with the aid of a timer. When children wake from their afternoon sleep they are always asked to use the toilet. Some children are upset when they awake so I will always comfort them. The afternoon usually consists of taking the children outside for free play. I get all their coats bags etc together and help to put their coats on. On this occasion it was a nice sunny day so I applied their own sun cream following the nursery sun cream policy. I ensure they have sun hats and the sun cream is applied liberally. Before we go outside I take 4 children at a time down the stair and reiterate the importance of holding the hand rail. A head count is once again recorded and an outdoor check is done following the outdoor risk assessment. The toddlers are escorted outsi de counting each child as they go. They are shortly followed by the children/babies from the tiny room downstairs and they all play in the same garden. The children are supervised with in ratio. As its free play time, I leave the children to play but some children like me to join in with what they are playing with. Child A is playing with a dolls pram and child B is trying to take that away from them. I intervene and explain to child B â€Å"we do not take toys from our friends when they are playing with them, it’s not very kind†. Child B is upset so I took the child away and provided them with another toy to distract them from child A. This works very well and child B goes off playing happily alone with the other toy. Child A is also happy and also continues to play. Shortly after another incident happened where a child has fallen and bumped their head. As I comfort the child I asked another staff member to get a cold compress. This is applied to the child for 10 minutes whilst still trying to comfort the child. The head bump is not too bad and the child soon calms down and returns playing. I then completed an accident form following nursery policy. This is then signed by the parent when the child is collected. During the afternoon, parents/carers come to collect their children. I greet the parents and explain what their child has been doing throughout the day, taking the information off the daily record sheet. We usually have a short chat with the parents/carers about the child’s day and will also take interest in their day too. We have a good  relationship with our parents/carers and this also helps us to get to know the parents/carers and children too. After all the children have gone home, we tidy round and ensure the nursery is ready for the next day ahead. 2.1 Explain the importance of reflective practice in continuously improving the quality of service provided. The nursery setting is always changing is so many different ways. We have new children being welcomed in to the setting and then we have children going through different types of transitions. The service we provide must reflect the needs of the children and by constantly improving our services we can better meet the need of the children and support their development. By constantly reflecting on out practice we can assess where we may be lacking in skills or knowledge and we can update these regularly to keep our services up to date and as supportive to the children as possible. A good example on reflective practice is, we have a child that has developed an intolerance to milk, dairy products etc. We have briefed all staff members with information regarding lactose free diet for this child. We have a couple of children who have turned 2 years and have completed the transition u pstairs to the toddler room. This meant we have more babies downstairs in our tiny room and the room has been slightly equipped with more age relevant toys and equipment. If we did not reflect on this, it could hinder the development of the younger babies. Everyone makes mistakes – they are one way of learning. It is important not to waste your mistakes, so if something has gone wrong, make sure you learn from it. Discuss problems and mistakes with your supervisor, and work out how to do things differently next time. You can use reflective skills in order to learn from situations that have not worked out the way you planned. It is important that you consider carefully why things turned out the way they did and think about how you will ensure that they go according to plan next time. Talking to colleagues and supervisors is equally useful when things work out really well, as it is important to reflect on success as well as failure. If you reflect on why something worked, this will make it more likely that you can repeat it. Information taken from http://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/ 2.3 Describe how own values, belief systems and experiences may affect  working practices What we believe in, what we see as important and what we see as acceptable or desirable is an essential part of who we are. The way in which we respond to people is linked to what we believe in, what we consider important and what interests us. We may find we react positively to people who share our values and less warmly to people who have different priorities. As a professionals, we are required to provide the same quality of support for all, not just for those who share our views and beliefs. The key term here is Diversity – being different; people are unique according to their own background, culture, personality, race, any disability, gender, religion/belief, sexual orientation and age. 4.1 Identify sources of support for planning and reviewing own development. Personal development is to do with developing the personal qualities and skills that everyone needs in order to live and work with others, such as understanding, empathy, patience, communication and relationship-building. It is also to do with the development of self-confidence, self-esteem and self-respect. In my setting there is always support for planning and reviewing my own development. I have already opted to improve my skills and development with a couple of course due to start in December 2014. You need to have these goals in mind; †¢ What you are trying to achieve? †¢ How you are you going to achieve it? †¢ How you will be able to tell when you have achieved it? It’s also helpful to further your development by asking other team members, duty manager and managers. We have a fantastic team who are very helpful and are ready to give any help and advice to anyone who needs it. At my setting there are many text books, magazines and brochures with vital information I can look through if I feel need some extra information in a certain topic of interest to further my development. We also have regular appraisals to guide and encourage further development and to also discuss current work practice. I feel this is extremely important. This not only boosts self-esteem but also gives management a chance to reflect on your work practice and if there is any further development training needed. Ref: http://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk

Wireless Sensor Networks: Applications and Forms

Wireless Sensor Networks: Applications and Forms 1 Wireless Sensor Network In this chapter, wireless sensor network (WSN) principles are being shortly introduced and discussed. In order to increase the level of understanding for analyzing Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) systems it is useful to study the technology behind them the technologies which are presented in this section. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are distributed and independent sensors that are connected and worked together to measure quantities such as temperature, humidity, pressure, noise levels or vibrations [5]. WSNs can measure vehicular movement (velocity, location, etc.) and monitor conditions such as lightning condition, soil makeup and motion [5]. Nowadays, WSNs are utilized in many common applications such as vehicle applications. Some of vehicle applications are: vehicle tracking and detection, tire pressure monitoring, vehicle speed detection, vehicle direction indicator, traffic control, reversing aid sensors etc. Such applications can be divided in major categories such as safety, security, environment and logistics. To implement WSN in an application and have an efficient system, first we need to consider about WSN technology, components and communication topology and protocols. Therefore, first, in this chapter, basic information about WSN components, the communication devices and process unit of WSN will be described. Then, the chapter will be followed by a description of the WSN topologies and protocols emphasizing on mesh WSN technology with ZigBee Protocol. 1.1 Wireless Sensor Network component To provide comprehensive view of WSN hardware, understanding of WSN components structure is required. Wireless sensors are small microcontrollers equipped with wireless communication device and an energy supplier. The architecture of WSNs is illustrated in Figure 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ1 . As Figure 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ1 shows the components of WSNs are sensing unit, processing unit, power supplier and communication device. The sensing unit consists of sensors and Analog to Digital Converters (ADCs). ADCs are responsible for gathering the signals and converting them into digital signals data and transfer them through each other using network topology to the processor unit. In the sensing unit, each sensor is called an ‘end node and varies in size and cost. The mission of these multifunction sensor nodes are to sense, process data and collaborate with other nodes [8]. Wireless sensor network can be positioned in two ways, either using a complex technique with the large sensors far from the object or using several sensors with an engineered design on position and topology [5]. In addition, each node provided with a wireless communication transceiver as a communication component. In the process unit, the controller and small memory storage are responsible for managing the collaboration within the sensors to achieve the assigning task. In addition, the communication device with a transceiver makes the network connection. Above all, the essential component of WSN is the power unit, which supports the power for all units [5]. One of the unique characteristics of sensor networks is that they are equipped with an on-board processor. This feature enables them to locally process some simple computations and broadcast only necessary processed data [5]. Network communication is really complicated and needs years of study [8], but to be able to implement WSN, we need to know some basic primary concepts of communication technology such as; network topologies, network protocol and their standards and specifications. 1.2 Communication technology To cover technical aspects of WSN, network topology and network protocol studying is needed. This study will help to provide information about reliability, robustness, security and stability and of WSNs software aspect to answer the research questions RQ. 1 ,RQ. 2 and RQ. 3 . 1.2.1 Topologies in WSN Communication In network communication, the big issue is how data transfers through nodes and nodes interconnect with each other. Several basic network topologies may be used for transmitting to and receiving from a node. The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) the standards organization of telecommunication industry explained the network topology as â€Å"The physical, real, logical or virtual arrangement of the nods/elements of a network† [9]. The topology shows the diameter and the number of nodes between any two nodes. Moreover how a data process and the data routing complexities are relied on the chosen topology. Consequently, some characteristics of a sensor networks such as latency, robustness and capacity are changed by their topology [10]. Figure 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ2 is a graphic mapping of networks topology which shows the links of one or more nodes and explains the physical topology of the network. Despite having the same topology, two networks can differ in transmission rates because of their physical interaction, signal types and distance between nodes [9]. Table 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ1 describes the different types of network topology. Table 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ1 Topology TYPES [9]. Since Mesh topology is a main topic in the thesis, it is studied more in-depth in this section 1.2.1.1 Mesh Wireless Network Wireless mesh network is a term used when all wireless nodes are connected to each other within an ad-hoc multi-hob and mesh topology. In this network, any pair of nodes is able to communicate between each other within more than one path. In this network each node is used as a router to forward packets to the neighbor nodes which they have linked to. That means all nodes communicate directly or through other midway nodes without any manual configuration. Therefore, this network also called a self-configuration and self-organized network [11; 12]. As described in Table 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ1, there are two types of mesh topology ‘Partially connected and ‘Fully connected (See Figure 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ3). In a fully connected topology each node has the ability to communicate with all other nodes in the network and creates an interconnection links. By increasing the number of nodes in a mesh network, the number of links increases as well. On the other hand, in a partially connected topology, instead of direct interconnection between nodes, each node has two or more links to others to provide alternate routing and traffic balancing. Due to more links and indirect connections between nodes, traffic can flow through one or more router nodes to the destination [7] and create more reliable interconnections between nodes. Moreover, in partial network, the nodes are connected to either the node with higher rate of data transaction or the nearest neighbor node while in fully connected network all nodes have a direct links with each other. This multiple link path conducts a reliable communication. Therefore, whenever a connection fails or a node breaks down, the packages can automatically change their path by ‘jumping from a disconnected node. This is often called the self-healing of the network. This means that the networks connection stability and reliability are not essentially affected by node failures [11]. Due to the characteristics of wireless sensor network mesh, this network is self-configuring and self-organizing network in which each end-node is also used as a router (dual role- data originator /data router) to forward the signal packages all the way back of the main gateway. Therefore, due to the characteristics of mesh networks, this network is becoming one of the most implemented networks which able to have the flexible architecture for the network, easy self-configuration and robust fault tolerance connectivity [11; 12]. Additionally, the self-configuring characteristic of mesh WSN, bring the ability for the network to connect or disconnect nodes from the network. This brings the ability to grow/decrease the network by adding/removing nodes of a system. Mesh WSN has reliable self-healing and robust fault tolerance. This means if ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­ a node fails or breaks down the signal packages jump from the disconnected node and automatically conducts a new path through the nearest node. However, the new path imposes re-routing and re-organizing to the network [5], which consumes too much power from the system. Therefore, having a power-aware protocol and algorithm is necessary for mesh network. ZigBee protocol is one of the protocols which provides this ability for WSN. 1.2.2 Protocols in WSN Communication WSN systems include variety of protocols for communication. Protocols need to program in different architectural layers. One of these architectural standard is OSI (Open System Interconnection) framework. In this session a brief introduction of each protocol and OSI are delineated. Figure 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ4 shows the graphic overview of all wireless network technologies. This figure illustrated IEEE PAN/LAN/MAN technologies and clearly shows how these standards and protocols can be used in different conditions. For instance, 3G protocol is used to cover a long range of audio information in a wide area network (WAN) while for the same information in a short range and personal area network (PAN), Bluetooth is better. The standard conceptual rules set for data representation, data communication and error detection across two ends in telecommunication, are called communication protocols. These abstract rules represent in different layers of communication. There are different protocol stacks introducing different architectures for these layers such as AppleTalk, Distributed Systems Architecture (DSA), Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) and Open Systems Interconnect (ISO/OSI). Figure 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ5 (a) illustrates the different layers of an OSI Model and their functionalities. The OSI model has seven layers and each layer provides services for the upper layer and requests services from the lower layer. Figure 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ5 (b) shows the typical communication protocols layers. Each of these layers has to deal with different issues regarding the communication procedure. As the typical protocol stack model shows in Figure 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ5 the communication protocols should implement all layers from bottom to top. In addition, a management protocol needs to be applied in each layer to manage power efficiency, robust connectivity and connection reliability (see: Figure 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ5 b). Below, rules and functionality for each layer are described: * Physical layer: is responsible for signal processing and physical interface connectivity between a device and physical medium and used bit stream in its data unit. It acted as communication channel for sensing and actuation in cost-efficient and reliable manner. Some examples of this layer are: IEEE 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.15.1 Bluetooth, IEEE 802.15.4 ZigBee, etc. [7] * Data link layer: provides functionality toward channel sharing, Medium Access Control (MAC-Layer), timing (e.g. data time arrival), local link and capacity. It is responsible for detecting and correcting the data errors in physical layer and control the locality data comparison. It follows the protocols such as point-to-point protocol (PPP) and IEEE 802 Local Link Control (LLC). [7] * Network layer: is responsible for network routing functionality, network security, energy and power efficiency and reliability of the communication. It includes the network topology management and manages the information and detects errors in data transfer from router to router. A number of protocols is address in this layer such as: Internet protocol (IP), Threshold Sensitive Energy Efficient Sensor Network Protocol and etc. [7]. * Transport layer: provides end-to-end transportation (distributing and gathering) of data between end users. It includes storage and responds for caching and controlling the data to recover them back to the initial message that has been sent. Best-known protocols for this layer are Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) [7]. * Upper layers: The Upper Layers are responsible for application processing, external query processing and etc. Upper layers include presentation layer session layer and application layer [7]. The summary of these standards and protocols are shown in Figure 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ6 Among all the standard and protocols, IEEE PAN/LAN/MAN technologies are the ones applied in the majority of commercialWSNs to support physical layer and link-data layer signal transmission. As SOHRABY and ZNATI (2007) mentioned, the most common best-known protocols are:† (1) the IEEE 802.15.1 (also known as Bluetooth); (2) the IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n series of wireless LANs; (3) the IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee); (4) the MAN-scope IEEE 802.16 (also known as WiMax); and (5) radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagging† [7]. Each of these protocols has their own benefits and constraints. The comparisons between IEEE technologies are mentioned in Table 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ2. As Table 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ2 shows the IEEE 802.15.4 standard provides data rate of 20 to 250 kbps and operates in the 2.4-GHz ISM band. This standard covers signals in range of 10 m and requires the lowest power among other IEEE class. While IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n transmits the data in the rate of 54 Mbps ideal for wi reless internet connections and operates in the 2.4-GHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) radio band as well as the 5-GHz ISM / 5-GHz U-NII (Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure) radio band. However, it requires much higher power consumption than IEEE 802.15 [7]. Recently, researchers put much effort to develop â€Å"a cost-effective standards-based wireless networking solution that supports low-to medium data rates, has low power consumption, and guarantees security and reliability† [7]. ZigBee Alliance is an association of companies which aims to provide such a standard for WSN consumers. Their mission is to have a simple, reliable, low-cost, low-power and standards-based wireless platform 1.2.2.1 ZigBee standard The ZigBee standard builds on IEEE 802.15.4 and is suitable for remote monitoring and controlling applications. Although it has lower-data-rates than the other standards, its reliability, security, long life battery with less complexity mechanism make it ideal for building automation in industrial network applications. The architecture of the ZigBee stack is established on the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model. The IEEE 802.15.4 defines the physical layer (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) sub-layer and In addition, ZigBee Alliance defines other functionalities for upper layers [7]. Figure 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ7 is a graphic overview of ZigBee protocol stack and shows the responsibility areas of IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee Alliance platform and users applications [7]. This picture also shows the basic functionality of each layer. The data transmission service is provided by PHY layer and the protocol in this layer enables the connection between data units and the physical radio channel. ZigBee provides three different frequency band options for PHY layer. First, the transmission data-rate of 250kbps in 16 channels at 2.45GHz (Global) frequency. Second, with 40Kbps in 10 channels at 915MHz (Americas). And the last one, with 20kbps in 1 channel at 868MHz (Europe). The higher data-rate causes a higher order in modulation design and the lower frequency cause a larger cover area and better sensitivity. Depending on the power output, the transmission distance rate can change from 1 to 100 meters. (For more detail information see: Table 7à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ1 in Appendix A) ZigBee WSN has the ability to have static or dynamic network/component with either star or mesh topology and it has three types of nodes: a ZigBee Coordinator (ZC), ZigBee Routers (ZR), and ZigBee End-Devices (ZED). In order to have a communication protocol and physical connection both PHY layer and MAC sub-layers of the architecture should be defined upon agreement between server and clients. These layers require manual administrative procedures setting for server/client gateway. The next three levels namely: the network layer, security protocol and transport layer are defined by ZigBee alliance platform automatically. The last layer, application layer, has to interact with the user-interface and other applications; it ought to be programmed with high-level language so that integration with any existing devices applications becomes more conveniently practical. The ZigBee stack in gateway is responsible for all the network functionality such as network process management, authentication of the joined nodes, binding nodes and routing the messages throughout the network. ZigBee stack as a standard protocol, has clusters and libraries for improving the implementation process, therefore, using ZigBee compare to other protocols makes the system (including both hardware and software) development process much faster and easier. On the other hand, such standardisation provides easiness of adopt with third party sensors regardless of manufacturer, which might be attached to the network later. 2 Software Aspects To address the research question regarding the reliability, robustness, and security of any WSN application, it is essential to investigate the software architecture of that network. For convenience in description of the architecture of a WSN application, it is divided into three segments: Physical devices (such as lamps, sensors, nodes), Communication Protocol (terminals and servers, bridge, switch, network topology and standard) and Carried Information (application, functions, etc.). Any attempts to retain a precise design on software architecture for each part will cause an effective data transmission, which ensures reliability and security of the system [7]. Hence achieving any desired data transmission precision level in a WSN, network management (NM) techniques are applicable. Such techniques assist in network status monitoring, reliability and security amendment, and cooperation supervision between components [7]. NM techniques could also detect and resolve network faults in addition to restoring the system respectively [7]. In practice, designing WSN application necessitates tailoring NM techniques for each architectural segment. Various NM techniques regarding each segment are summarized as follows [7; 12; 5]: a) Physical architecture: Sensing and processing management, operation and administration, fault tolerance, maintenance, energy efficiency management, configuration management, performance management, security management, network element management. b) Communication architecture: Network management, networking protocols, network topology, function management, monitoring functions, fault management, performance management, security management, service management and communication, maintenance management, network configuration and organization, network behavior, data delivery model, sensor mobility, naming and localization, sensing coverage area, communication coverage area energy efficiency management c) Information architecture: Real-time information management, mapping management, service management, analyze information, control application, business application management report management, sending and receiving commands or response, naming, localization, maintenance, fault tolerance Aforementioned NM techniques enhance quality of the system. According to ISO 9126-1 software quality model Table 4à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ1 [13; 14; 15], the quality characteristics of a system could be divided into six fundamental properties: functionality, reliability, usability, efficiency, maintainability, and portability. According to the same documentation, these characteristics are broken to sub-characteristics such as suitability, security, maturity, fault tolerance, adaptability, analyzability, stability, testability and so on [13]. However, focusing on all subcategories collectively exceeds the time horizon of this research, from this stance three dimensions namely reliability, robustness and security are brought into attention. This section will be divided to two subsections describing the architecture issues and NM techniques for (1) Reliability and Robustness, (2) Security, of WSN and other characteristics is relegated to future studies. 2.1 Reliability and Robustness In WSNs context, the probability that a network functions properly and aggregates trustworthy data without any interruption continuously, is usually referred to as reliability characteristic of the network [23; 20]. According to ISO 9126-1 software quality documentation, reliability characteristic shows the capability of a network to maintain or re-built (re-start) the service in certain period of time [13]. So, it is important that during long sensing, the network has to service up continuously. Reliable service of a network includes precise and proper sensing, delivering and sending acceptable data to the base station. In other words as Taherkordi et al. (2006) put: â€Å"The less loss of interested data, leads us to higher reliability of a system†. Systematic approach perceives reliability as probability of data delivery to the base station rather than point-to-point reliability [16]. Robustness defined by Sohraby et al. (2007) as: â€Å"a combination of reliability, availability, and dependability requirements†, reflects the degree of the protocol insensitivity to errors and misinformation†. Achieving system robustness in WSN, necessitates system capability to detect, tolerate and confine errors as well as reconfigure and restart the network respectively [7]. According to the given definition by Sohraby et al. (2007), it is apprehensible that reliability and robustness share commonalities with each other; this is the main rational behind discussing these two attributes together in this section [7]. Considering the nature of communication in WSN, a network is unpredictable and prone to fail caused by any physical damages in hardware devices, energy depletion, communication link error, information collapses in packages and etc. [17; 16]. Therefore, one of the critical issues in design phase of WSN is applying fault tolerance techniques to optimize the network so that reliability and robustness attained [17]. These techniques enable the network to withstand and recover any upcoming failure and restart operation [13]. Liu et al. (2009) categorized fault tolerance techniques into: node placement, topology control, target and event detection, data gathering and aggregation, and sensor surveillance. Reminding from the beginning of this chapter architecture design divided into three segments. Table 4à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ2 depicted a summary of the plausible related faults and their solutions in each segment. In the following, each aforementioned fault tolerance techniques are being discussed in each design segment. Table 4à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ2 The most probable fault and their fault tolerance solutions in WSN [17; 7; 18] 2.1.1 Reliability and Robustness of Physical Architecture: Fault: any physical interruption in sensor surveillance Solution: Node placement management and signal-effect management First item that should be considered in designing physical components architecture for reliability and Robustness is: physical placement and signal-effect management. As it is mentioned in section 3, although the mesh network communication is self-organize topology and does not need any manual configuration to bind the network for mobile sensors, the physical architecture and the location schema of the hardware components, sensors and gateways need to be designed carefully [7]. As a characteristic of mesh WSN, the sensors in network are free of any installation restrictions, even though, the placement should be far from any physical destruction or hostile locations. Inappropriate physical placement of sensor transmitters and gateway antenna can cause noise or significant lost in signals [7]. In addition, the signal coverage is decayed by surrounding objects and materials such as metal wall and the like. (E.g. exterior wooden, concrete, brick or gypsum frame, block or wall). Especially in the case of vehicles, the main body can impose such problem and henceforth installation of the sensors in this manner would be delicate. Moreover, the signal waves might be faded and affected during the transmission, due to various physical phenomena such as reflection, diffraction or scattering [7]. These effects would cause significant interruption in sensor surveillance. Therefore, it is important to manage these signal-effects in early stage of WSN physical architecture design. Reflection occurs when electromagnetic wave of signals is duplicated due to impinge of the wave on large object or surface such as walls, buildings and the Earth [7]. Therefore, all the reflection of the walls and also the Earth should be acknowledged in physical architecture design. Diffraction refers to any defection and obstruction in waves caused by irregular sharp edges during the data transmission between the transmitter and receiver [7]. In this case, designers have to be prudent in sensors placements in the proximity of sharp edges and corner angels. Scattering refers to any deviation from straight line. Environmental obstacles in the propagation path affect passing waves from their original structure. Even small irregular object such as street signs, and lampposts might encounter and scatter the wave. Hence WSN should be design to face with any irregular scattering during the wave transmission. Above all, the mobility of sensors and surrounding objects might fade the signals and add noises that should be considered in architecture design [7]. These issues are the basic physical factors, which cause major fault in data aggregation of WSN and cut down reliability and robustness. These destructive signals need to be subtracted from the received signal paths [7] before sending the data to gateway. Therefore, reflection, diffraction and scattering should be considered not only by designers in the physical components placements, but also by programmers in network development. Fault: Sensors failure Solution: Hardware replacement The next issue that needs to be considered in designing the physical architecture of a WSN is hardware failure. Sensors energy suppliers or any damages to the sensors and/or their transmitters are the sources of hardware failure. Regardless of source of failure, the WSN must be capable of functioning as well as replacing and switching sensors when necessary. Additionally, any changes in the physical components, on one hand, needs an explicit and well-defied consideration on security issue to prevent any potential threats, and on the other hand, needs an adaptable and configurable communication connection network [18]. 2.1.2 Reliability and Robustness of Communication Architecture Fault: communication link errors Solution:Topology control and event detection , Replicated services in communication model, Communication link error is an important concern in dealing with reliability and robustness of a network in communication architecture. The sensors in WSN are prone to fail and make link errors in point-to-point reliability of communication protocol. Therefore, it is the network topology responsibility to detect the errors and guarantee the overall reliability of the syste